Board Honors Twin Peaks Orchards for Award, 100th Anniversary

May 10, 2012

The Placer County Board of Supervisors got a chance Tuesday to congratulate Twin Peaks Orchards of Newcastle for two milestones: being in business 100 years and

Vice Chair Jim Holmes of the Placer County Board of Supervisors, center, holds a resolution the board
adopted Tuesday honoring Twin Peaks Orchards of Newcastle for two milestones: being in business
100 years and winning a 2012 Farmer of the Year Award. Pictured with the supervisor are members of the
family who owns Twin Peaks. In the front row, from left to right, are Raul Enriquez, Sheila Enriquez,
Carol Iwasaki, and Alondra Enriquez. In the back row are Raul V. Enriquez and, Camelia Miller.

winning a 2012 Farmer of the Year Award.

Board members voted unanimously to approve a resolution commending Twin Peaks for its 100th anniversary and the prestigious award presented to it by PlacerGrown, a countywide agricultural marketing program.

PlacerGrown also presented a 2012 Farmer of the Year Award to a second local business that is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year: Fowler Nurseries. Fowler will be recognized at an upcoming Board of Supervisors meeting.

Tuesday’s ceremony honoring Twin Peaks was led by Vice Chair Jim Holmes, the supervisor who represents Newcastle on the board.

“Twin Peaks Orchards has for 100 years been family-owned and operated by the Nakae family, using the principles of sustainable farming,” he explained in a memo to his board colleagues. “They not only work their orchards - the fifth generation of their family still lives and plays in them.”

Twin Peaks was established in 1912 by Yoshichika and Tomeo Nakae at a time when the Placer County foothills had a reputation as the “Fruit Basket of the World.”

The resolution adopted by the board emphasizes that rolling hills, hot days and cool nights in the foothills around Newcastle produce fruit that is rich in sugar and full of flavor, and that Twin Peaks is a dream come true for gourmet fruit lovers.

“Twin Peaks Orchards hand picks and packs premium tree-ripe fruit nearly year-round, starting in early May with sweet peaches and floral nectarines, ending the year with a unique mix of persimmons and citrus,” Supervisor Holmes explained.

He noted that Twin Peaks has an onsite commercial processing facility for the production of jams, salsa, sauces, pies and dried products.